Heard of Panama's Red Wine Processing Method? What About Ethiopia's Red Wine Processing?

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For many coffee enthusiasts, Ethiopian coffee is simply the entry point to their passion. However, the coffee produced here is basically either washed or natural processed, with honey processing being quite rare! However, today FrontStreet Coffee wants to share with you this Ethiopian coffee that uses the red wine processing method!

Ethiopia GUJI Hambella Deri

Ethiopia · Deri

Origin: Ethiopia

Region: GUJI

Variety: Local Heirloom

Altitude: 2000-2200 meters

Grade: G1

Processing Method: Red Wine Processing

Ethiopia Guji

Ethiopia is located in Africa and is a world-renowned coffee-producing region. Among so many coffee-producing countries, Ethiopia holds a nearly legendary status. Firstly, because it is the birthplace of Arabica coffee; secondly, because the coffee produced here has different flavor profiles compared to other producing countries.

The Guji region has been a noteworthy area in recent years, achieving impressive results in both flavor expression and quality. The Guji region was formerly part of the Sidamo region but was established as an independent new region by the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) in 2010.

Located southeast of Yirgacheffe, the Guji region borders Sidamo and Gedeo, featuring complex topographical changes including towering mountains, highlands, plateaus, valleys, and plains.

The region's geology consists of fertile black soil (Vertisol) with a depth of nearly two meters, and an average altitude of over 1,800 meters. The significant day-night temperature differences created by geographical characteristics provide the local area with all the terroir conditions necessary to produce high-quality specialty coffee.

The biggest advantage here lies in maintaining soil vitality through the circulation of natural organic matter, using fallen leaves or debris from surrounding trees, plant root residues, etc., as natural fertilizers.

Local Heirloom

Those who frequently drink Ethiopian coffee should have heard of the "Heirloom" variety. Most Ethiopian varieties are named this way because there are simply too many varieties in Ethiopia. It's like a natural gene bank for Arabica coffee. On one hand, the variety is abundant, making identification and classification difficult; on the other hand, the Ethiopian government,出于保护考虑, is unwilling or unable to disclose information about these varieties. The concept of variety in agricultural cultivation involves selecting and breeding crops before naming their species. As coffee is a native crop in the region, various varieties are not artificially planted and naturally mix together, hence they are collectively called "Heirloom." This is also the reason for the variable and uncontrollable flavors.

Red Wine Processing

The red wine processing method, also known as carbonic maceration processing, is inspired by the winemaking process. Unlike traditional winemaking where grapes are pressed before fermentation, this method involves putting whole grape clusters directly into a sealed container filled with CO2. Through slow anaerobic fermentation, it ultimately produces red wine with a lighter color, strong fruity aroma, and excellent taste.

Introducing this processing concept to coffee treatment, coffee beans are removed of pulp and skin, then placed in fermentation tanks - stainless steel containers where carbon dioxide is introduced and oxygen is excluded, creating a sealed anaerobic environment. This allows the coffee cherries to undergo strictly controlled anaerobic fermentation in the fermentation tanks, thereby developing more aromatic compounds and quality acidity in the coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Curve Analysis

Roasting machine: Yangjia 800N (300g batch size)

Start roasting when the drum temperature reaches 160°C, with the damper set to 4, heat at 120, and the return temperature point at 1'26", 107.1°C. After the drum temperature reaches 140°C, the bean surface begins to turn yellow, and the grassy smell completely disappears, entering the dehydration stage. When the drum temperature reaches 152°C, adjust the heat to 110; when the drum temperature reaches 166°C, adjust the heat to 90°C, keeping the damper unchanged.

At 7'28", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, and the toast smell clearly transitions to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of the first crack, which begins at 8'13". Adjust the damper to 5 (be very careful when adjusting the heat - it should not be so low that there's no cracking sound). Develop for 1'40" after first crack, then finish at 196°C.

Cupping notes: Fermented wine aroma, red wine, grapes, tropical fruits

FrontStreet Coffee Shared Brewing Parameters

FrontStreet Coffee recommended brewing method: Pour-over

1. Dripper: Hario V60

2. Grind size: Medium-fine (BG 5T: 58% pass rate through China standard #20 sieve)

3. Water temperature: 90°C

4. Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:16

5. Brewing technique:分段式萃取

Use 30g of water for blooming, with a blooming time of about 30 seconds. Pour 90g of water in small circular motions around the center, segmenting at 120g of water. Continue pouring to 240g when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed. Remove the dripper when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed. (Timing starts from the beginning of blooming) Total extraction time: 1'50".

Flavor: Wet aroma has red wine fragrance and rose floral notes. The taste carries flavors of jackfruit, grapes, and toffee, with some tea-like sensation in the finish.

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